I was reading a devotional last week by Matthew West and something in that post made me think about what our voice sounds like to God. You know, if you are a parent of a young child or if you ever were, one of the first things that you get so excited about is hearing that child's voice. The simple cry at the birth or the screams that come when you cannot figure out what the baby is trying to say. At times unnerving I am sure for a new parent. The child is trying to tell you something that you’re unable to comprehend. As the child grows and develops some sounds that resemble words, you either know what they are saying, or you guess. Funny side note, when Ryan came to visit us while we waited for him to be permanently placed with us, he would keep saying, "Huggie, huggie." We all assumed he was just this loving bundle of joy and we would hug him. Weeks into the process it became clear to us that his words were, "Hungry, hungry." OOOPS. (The foster mom wondered about our ability to parent...and so did we!)
The other day I was in the office and heard a child's voice out in the waiting room. I thought, "That is the most precious sounding little voice." The child was just talking. Probably not saying anything of great significance, but the sound of the voice caused me to pause. It was such an epiphany. I dare you to try and not smile just a smidge when you hear a tiny voice coming out of a tiny body. It is such a sweet innocent sound. Then I thought of my Heavenly Father. Imagine all the times we have "talked" to Him and how he feels. If that small voice of that child stirred my heart like it did and I am made in the image of God, imagine just how excited God gets when he hears the voice of His own children! He loves us, He loves our voice, He loves our tears, He loves our concerns, HE LOVES US!!! And our voice is sweet music to His ears.
The other amazing thing, do you always understand what a child says? No, just like the "huggie" up above, I did not understand. But God understands the words that we can't even bring to expression ourselves. He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit who will speak on our behalf when our words can't even be expressed by our mouths or our minds. What an awesome experience.
So, next time you hear a young child speak, remember, your Heavenly Father wants to hear that from you. He is waiting to have that kind of relationship with you. Chatter away!!
